


Pretty Little Picture

by lostin_space



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, POV Alex Manes, Roommates, Vacation, Valentine's Day, What's the opposite of slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:01:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29390937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: “Because! You were raised around a bunch of bougie rich white people, you know how to act at these things! I’d ask Isobel or Max, but I don’t even wanna pretend to be in love with them. With you, I can do the whole starry-eyed thing and if we have to show PDA, it won’t be that big of a deal because, like, it’s you,” Michael persuaded, clambering onto his hands and knees before putting his head on Alex’s arm and pouting up at him, “Pretty please? I’ll buy you something nice and fancy with my first big kid paycheck.”“Okay,” Alex agreed, not letting himself think too much about it.ORMichael needs a fake boyfriend and Alex is the perfect candidate.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 127
Kudos: 191
Collections: Malex Cupid 2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> for the malex cupid event! Each day will be a chapter :)

When Alex agreed to this, he thought it’d be a piece of cake.

“You’re going to regret this, it’s a horrible idea,” Liz said through the phone as he walked around his room, packing his bag for the weekend. He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why? We’re friends. And I’ve done musicals and stuff, I’ve acted before.”

“Okay, but this isn’t acting. This is going on a weekend getaway pretending to date your  _ friend  _ who you have a crush on is a  _ bad idea, _ ” she scoffed. Alex shook his head, looking between his plain black button-up and his plain black fitted turtleneck. He chose the turtleneck one and folded it carefully.

“I don’t have a crush on him.”

“Really?”

“Really. Trust me, I’ve seen him after pulling an all-nighter and falling asleep in his coffee. I know not to have a crush on him,” Alex said. Though he will admit, that was pretty cute.

“Sounds like something someone with a crush would say,” Liz scolded. Alex snorted a laugh. “Fine, do what you want, at least you’ll be believable with the heart-eyes and everything _. _ ”

“I do not have heart-eyes!”

Truly, Alex was sure it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. He  _ lived  _ with Michael already. They shared the house he inherited‒Michael needed a cheap place to live while in college and Alex wasn’t really looking forward to living alone, so it worked out‒and nothing weird had happened in the last three years. They were best friends, what would one weekend hurt?

“Alex, I need your help,” Michael had said, bursting into the living room and nearly making Alex spill his coffee. He stomped towards him, dropping his bag on the ground and flopping onto the couch with a pathetic whine. “Help me.”

“Help you with what?” Alex had asked in return, taking his eyes off his laptop to give him his full attention while he threw a little tantrum.

Michael twisted onto his stomach and rested his chin on his hands, looking up at him. Alex’s heart absolutely did  _ not  _ skip a beat in adoration. He wasn’t  _ that  _ cute.

“You know my internship? The fancy one with all the rich people that  _ pay  _ me to be an intern for them and actually listen to my ideas and‒”

“Yes, Michael, I know about your internship,” Alex laughed. Michael pouted just a little bit.

“Okay, so every year, the CEO takes all the interns and entrance-level employees and their partners on a trip for Valentine’s day and it’s a fun trip, I guess, but it’s really just this big, super informal interview where he and his wife sort of see if you’ll be a good fit for the company long term. Khalil said I  _ have  _ to go no matter what, that it’s super crucial and to make a good impression. Like, I have to go, Alex. I  _ have  _ to get hired for real after I graduate. Do you know how much I’ll get paid just to start? $35 an hour, Alex! I could do so much with that money!” Michael explained, exasperated and overwhelming as if Alex hadn’t heard how much money he would make if he got this job a billion times.

“Yeah, okay, then go,” Alex told him, “Sweet talk them like we all know you can.”

“I need a partner, though,” Michael said, pouting all over again, “So come with me. Please? We can pretend to be, like, long term boyfriends and, like, convince them I’d be a good queer diversity hire at the very least.”

Alex felt his cheeks grow warm at the suggestion and shifted in his spot. “Why me?”

“Because! You were raised around a bunch of bougie rich white people, you know how to act at these things! I’d ask Isobel or Max, but I don’t even wanna pretend to be in love with them. With  _ you,  _ I can do the whole starry-eyed thing and if we have to show PDA, it won’t be that big of a deal because, like, it’s  _ you _ ,” Michael persuaded, clambering onto his hands and knees before putting his head on Alex’s arm and pouting up at him, “Pretty please? I’ll buy you something nice and fancy with my first big kid paycheck.”

“Okay,” Alex agreed, not letting himself think too much about it. They spent all their time together anyway. He’d fallen asleep with Michael’s feet in his lap, he’d seen him basically naked, he’d hugged him and gotten platonic head kisses from him. They could pull it off.

“Okay?” Michael repeated, sitting up more. His smile was shining and bold and Alex had to take a breath. “Okay! Okay, so we have two weeks to pack and come up with stories and shit to tell. It’ll be so easy, they’re gonna love you, you’re so chill. Thank you, Alex, thank you so much.”

Which led to now when Alex was preparing to go on this  _ trip.  _ From the way Michael explained, it would be a lot of just talking and discussing with a side of couples retreat-esque activities.

“He’s apparently superfamily and relationship-oriented. I don’t know if it’s because he’s, like, super conservative or if he’s super progressive and is all for, like, living wages for family and will give people ample time off. I’m too scared to ask just yet,” Michael had explained.

Michael had also assured him that, during discussions, he could either sit with him or go talk to the other partners, whichever he preferred. He basically just needed Alex to look pretty and seem like they were totally in love. According to the way Liz spoke about them, it wouldn’t be a difficult feat.

So Alex packed his clothes and anything he thought he’d need to get by on a three day trip to some bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere. He wanted to look nice the whole time, even when they weren’t at formal dinners, and he was even going to flip his septum piercing. He planned to use his skills at selling himself to sell Michael as well.

“If you ever need a break, I’ll cover for you while you drive to the nearest convenience store to get a bunch of snacks,” Michael told him as he threw their bags in the backseat of Alex’s little car. Alex snorted a laugh.

“What about if you need a break?”

“Well, I plan to work for this fucker for at least the next thirty years, so my only break will be sleeping,” Michael said. Alex shook his head, going over to fix the collar of Michael’s shirt. It’d taken a bit of convincing to get him to forgo the flannels for a couple of days, but now he had a collared shirt that wouldn’t stay down for some reason. “Speaking of, are you gonna be chill sharing a bed or do I need to sleep on the floor? I don’t mind it, just wanna know if I should ask for an extra blanket.”

“Dude, we’ve shared a bed before,” Alex laughed, “It’s not gonna kill me.”

“Just making sure,” Michael said, taking a deep breath. It was only then that Alex realized that he was actually nervous.

“Hey,” Alex said, grabbing his shoulders and looking him in the eyes, “You’re going to impress the hell out of them, I’m gonna make sure of it, okay?”

“I just really want this job, Alex,” Michael said. Alex smiled.

“And you’re going to get it,” he said, “And, hey, if you don’t, this internship will always look good on your future resume.”

“Let’s just stick to telling me I’m gonna get it, okay?” Michael breathed. Alex laughed and nodded, patting him on the shoulder before shoved him gently in the direction of the passenger seat.

“You’re going to get it. Now get in the car.”

The whole ride there Alex was completely fine. This was going to be a piece of cake and he was going to show Liz that he could totally handle it. He didn’t have a crush, he wasn’t going to catch even more  _ feelings,  _ he was just being a good friend.

It didn’t  _ really  _ dawn on Alex just how stressful this weekend was going to be until they stepped inside the bed and breakfast and Michael looped an arm around his waist and tugged him in close. He knew they were going to be showing casual PDA, Alex agreed to that, but saying it and doing it in private was a whole different world to having Michael hanging onto him  _ in front of other people. _

Alex could hear his heart in his ears over the ringing, suddenly  _ very  _ aware of the fact that Michael was muscular. He knew he did a lot of manual labor jobs before he got that internship, but had he always been obvious about it?

Even then, Alex was able to smile through it as Michael led him up to the group of people that were already there. He was able to keep his feet under him as Michael leaned up to his ear to whisper a  _ ‘you got this’ _ . Alex was even stable as he shook the hand of the man whose suit was probably more than Alex’s inheritance.

“This is Alex,” Michael said, smiling over at him like he was  _ the  _ most important thing that ever existed, “My boyfriend.”

Well, shit.

Maybe Liz was onto something.

-

No, honestly‒Alex was fine.

Michael was charming, he knew that. He’d seen him with girls and guys he liked, he always laid on the charm thick and so it absolutely made sense for him to turn it on Alex. He just wasn’t  _ used  _ to it, that’s all. He just needed to adjust and then it’d be all roses.

“Alex, have I mentioned today that you’re my favorite?” Michael hummed as they went into their little room. Alex finally felt like he could breathe and tilted his head at him, raising an eyebrow. Michael was grinning with his back pressed against the door. “You’re incredible. They like you. Ivan laughed at your joke‒he  _ never  _ laughs.”

“Well, I’m glad you picked the right suitor,” Alex laughed, rolling his shoulders as he sat down on the bed. His back was facing Michael, finally, and he used it to close his eyes and count to three.

Michael was charming, simple. And, honestly, Alex  _ was _ on the receiving end of it the more he thought about it. Just not in front of people. That’s what made it feel like so much. The audience. He’d never been so loudly  _ out  _ in front of that many people before. That’s what it was.

“The  _ best, _ ” Michael insisted. 

The bed creaked under his weight as he crawled across it and Alex was only able to prepare himself for the weight to be draped over his back because he was used to Michael being clingy. Just… in private. 

“Hey, you okay?” Michael asked after he was quiet for a second too long.

“Yeah,” Alex breathed, “I’m fine. Just never proudly stated I was into guys in front of that many people before.”

“Oh,” Michael said, pressing against his back just a little more, “Good feeling or bad feeling?”

Alex didn’t answer quickly enough.

“Alex, if you want to go home, then‒”

“No, this is good. I feel good. Just overwhelmed,” he explained. It wasn’t a lie.

“Okay, fair enough,” Michael said, kissing his temple before throwing himself backwards onto the bed, “I swear, it feels better after the overwhelming feeling goes away. None of them are gonna say shit to you either.”

Alex nodded and laid back on the bed beside him, looking over at him. They had to get ready for one of their informal discussions and dinner, but it sounded like a good idea to just lay there for a moment. The longer they laid there, the more he was able to realize this wasn’t going to be too bad. In fact, he was going to have fun with it.

In an actual relationship, he wouldn’t want to show a lot of PDA or be super touchy. But this wasn’t an actual relationship. He could just be a little extreme for the fun of it. He  _ was  _ going to school to perform. Why not try his hand at acting?

Bonus points if Michael got flustered.

“Okay, I’m good,” Alex said. Michael turned his head and they locked eyes, a smile on his face.

“Good,” Michael said, shifting onto his side, “But if you start feeling overwhelmed again, you can just squeeze my hand. We’re boyfriends for the weekend, so it doesn’t matter if they think it’s gay.”

Alex huffed a laugh, turning onto his side as well. 

“Do they actually know you’re bisexual or is this like your coming out and you’re just letting them think what they want?” Alex wondered, “I saw a couple of shocked faces.”

“Some people know, mainly the people I talk to every day, but I don’t try to hide it. I think most of them thought I was straight until Callie was showing Emily some picture of a hot guy and I said I wanted to see,” Michael said, grinning in that way that told Alex he’d done it purposefully to get a shock out of some people.

“Oh yeah, how’d that go?”

“No one really said much, the girls laughed. Khalil breathed like a sigh of relief because they thought they were the only queer person working there,” Michael said, scooting closer, “I think there’s probably a couple more somewhere are the office. It’s a big place, there’s gotta be.”

“Mm, but we’re gonna be basically the only same-sex couple this weekend, right? I didn’t see anyone else while we were down there,” Alex pointed out. Michael nodded.

“Yeah, sorry. But only for a couple of days! It’s already Friday afternoon and we’re leaving Sunday afternoon, it’ll be fine. Plus, you got me,” Michael said, reaching out to poke Alex in the side, “I’ll make it worthwhile.”

Alex found himself smiling just a little.

“Yeah, I know you will.”

They both eventually got up and got dressed. Alex broke out the turtleneck and some relatively tight black slacks, drawing on fresh eyeliner. He pulled as much of his hair back as he could into a small low ponytail and deliberately made his bangs and everything hanging down a little intentionally messy.

This was a performance and he was going to sell it easily.

When he came out of their bathroom and into the main room, he saw Michael was in a pair of chinos and a maroon button-up that he was sure Isobel had gotten for him. He was just fastening his belt when Alex made a show of leaning against the doorframe as he whistled low.

“Well, well, well, don’t you look good,” Alex said. Michael looked up at him with a shit-eating grin, hands fumbling as he tried to tuck the end of the belt into his belt loops. 

“I bet I smell better, Isobel got me fancy cologne,” he said. Alex huffed a laugh.

“Yeah, I can smell it, it’s nice,” he said, pushing off the door frame and walking closer, “You wearing real shoes, or am I going to have to publicly break up with you for wearing cowboy boots?”

Michael rolled his eyes and reached out to grab Alex by the waistband of his pants, tugging him in. Alex’s eyes went wide as he laughed at the forwardness.

“I’m wearing shoes, the fancy ones that are pointed at the end and click when you walk,” Michael said. Alex grinned and put the back of his hand to his forehead.

“I’m swooning.”

“You should.”

Michael let him go and went to go slip on his shoes while Alex went to his combat boots‒much more situation-appropriate than cowboy boots and he would stick by that. They gave each other another once over of approval before leaving their room. 

“Those boots make your ass look great,” Michael said as they headed towards the elevator. Alex’s eyebrows shot up and he looked over his shoulder. Michael flashed an innocent smile. “What? You’re my boyfriend, I can look at your ass, right?”

“If I can look at yours,  _ boyfriend. _ ”

“I’m begging,” Michael said warmly as they stepped into the elevator. Alex shook his head and pressed the ground floor.

Because, of course, this was what it would be like to be with Michael. Flirting, banter, touching. No wonder he had so many people wanting to be with him. Hell, Alex got a decent taste of it and they didn’t even  _ like  _ each other like that. Though, it definitely helped him understand where all of Liz’s concerns came from.

“You really are feeling better, right? Like, don’t let me do anything you’re not comfortable with. I’ll try not to, but, you know, slap me if I do,” Michael insisted before the elevator doors could open, sincerity dripping from his tone.

Alex held out his hand as the doors opened.

“I’m fine.”

Alex was able to make that statement even more true as they started socializing and he managed to snag a flute of champagne. It tasted expensive, just like the shit he and Kyle would sneak at their parents’ parties. It was easier to loosen up when pretending that’s what this was.

“Michael, Alex!” Curtis called as he neared, a big smile on his face and a gorgeous woman on his arm.

Curtis was the CEO of Disionic, a company that specialized in doing work for other companies’ prototypes. Companies of all sorts would use Disionic to outsource their new and fancy inventions for all sorts of different things, from engine-powered toys to ad blocking apps to literal blenders, as a way to test run them and get credible feedback from engineers and usually would employ them to fix any mistakes that were made. Michael loved it, it was a constant stream of new things and it made  _ big  _ money. 

The fact that he made a point to know all the interns' names was simply a plus.

“You two look like the perfect pair,” he said, looking between the two of them with a warm smile. Alex raised his eyebrows at Michael and offered a smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Iverson,” Michael said, nodding to the woman on his arm, “Mrs. Iverson.”

“Call me Jeannie,” Mrs. Iverson said, holding out a hand. Michael shook it firmly and Alex did the same. “So, I’ve heard about Michael, the agricultural and mechanical double major from Berkeley, but I haven’t heard about you. What do you do, Alex?”

Alex felt Michael take a deep breath, a silent  _ ‘oh God, am I good enough that he told his wife about me?’ _ and he tightened his hold around his waist. Alex gave his award-winning polite smile that did wonders when he took etiquette classes back when his father thought dressing him up in a suit around other boys in suits to learn about how to act right would make him  _ less  _ likely to be a raging homosexual.

“I actually go to SFSU for right now,” Alex said, “Music major.”

“Oh!” she said, and Alex had already predicted her words before she said them because it’s what people always said, “That’s cute!”

“Mm,” Alex hummed, taking another sip of his champagne, “My major is piano education, but I also take vocal classes as more of a minor.”

“Oh, good, you’ll be able to do a lot with that. And it’s not that far from Michael’s school,” she said. He nodded, looking towards Michael.

“Yeah, we live somewhere in the middle,” he said.

“That’s good that he’s with someone who’s also focused, it’s a good environment to be in for a boy his age with his promise,” Curtis insisted. Michael went a little weak in his grasp and Alex didn’t have to be a genius to know it had everything to do with a grown man caring about his  _ promise.  _

“I think so too.”

After moving on from Curtis, Michael was able to regain his legs and his brain and Alex didn’t have to carry too much of the weight‒literally and figuratively. They sat and had dinner, all paid for by the company, and then got back to socializing. It was honestly a bit draining, but Alex kept reminding himself it was just for the weekend and it was for Michael and also that most of the people there were winging it just as much as Michael.

“So, how did you two get together? I know Michael said you were roommates before things got started, so that must’ve been a risky move,” Alisha‒Michael’s coworker’s wife of two months who wouldn’t let either of them forget how sad it was that they couldn’t make it to the wedding as if they’d known either of them long enough to be invited in the first place‒asked. She was kind and all, but she asked a lot of questions. Alex was waiting for her to ask something that was too invasive to even justify a polite answer.

Honestly, some of them already felt too invasive, but Alex knew that was probably him just being touchy.

“Oh, I just got up the courage to ask him out one day and hoped it wouldn’t be weird. I mean, look at his face. It was impossible not to catch feelings,” Michael said. Alex rolled his eyes and leaned into his side, playing it up to the best of his ability. It helped that the champagne he’d been sipping on had made him a little more comfortable.

“Stop it.”

“I’m serious! I couldn’t help myself. I just wanted a chance to look at the stars with you and know you were mine,” Michael cooed, pressing his nose into Alex’s cheek and nuzzling just a little. Alex’s ears were ringing a bit as he turned his head to look at him up close. They locked eyes for a moment too long before Michael cleared his throat and looked back to Alisha. “So, yeah, couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

“How cute, I wish straight men were that romantic,” she cooed, just tone-deaf enough to level Alex’s thoughts, “Have you talked about marriage? I’d love to come to the wedding, it’d be so fun.”

“Not really, yet,” Alex said, pinching Michael’s hip just enough to make him jump, “But I figure one day I’ll get him on one knee.”

“What, you won’t propose to me?” Michael said, trying to put but failing through his smile. Alex cupped his ear in his hand, running his thumb gently along the curve of it. If Michael’s eyes drifted to his lips, well, Alex pretended he didn’t notice.

“Maybe I just like seeing you on your knees,” Alex said. Michael’s eyes widened.

“Oh, dear, I feel like I’m intruding,” Alisha giggled and Alex blinked out of it.

“Sorry,” he said, “Just teasing.”

“I totally get it! Me and my Tom get like that all the time.” 

“ _ Speaking  _ of your Tom,” Tom said, sidling up beside her and looping his arm around her waist. She smiled up at him. “Emily wanted to see your ring.”

“Oh! Okay, see you later, guys! I had fun talking to you,” Alisha said, waving as she let herself be tugged off to wherever Emily and her boyfriend were.

Alex let out a breath of relief and raised his glass to his lips. Mid-sip, Michael leaned in close to his ear, lips nearly pressed against his skin. Alex focused on his drink.

“You’re gonna do something stupid like make me fall in love with you,” he breathed, leaving a kiss on his cheek before he pulled back.

“Ah, a tragic mistake many men have made,” Alex said playfully. Michael beamed at him.

“Seriously, you’re amazing, Alex. I’m so glad I brought you. You even managed to make  _ Alisha  _ bearable,” Michael said. Alex laughed and looked over to where Alisha was proudly showing off her ring.

“She’s not  _ that  _ bad.”

“You haven’t met her as many times as I have,” Michael huffed, “I was  _ terrified  _ when I saw her comin’ this way. She means well, but, you know.”

“The straights just aren’t as romantic, Michael, don’t you know?” he said. Michael laughed and squeezed his hip. “But are you good? You’re starting to look a little drained.”

“I’m gonna start lookin’ for a way out so we can go upstairs. My people tolerance is dropping,” Michael confessed. Alex nodded.

“Well, you’re doing really well. I almost didn’t notice.”

“Hopefully no one else will.”

“No one else knows you like I do, so I’m assuming you’re good.”

Michael tilted his head, that little smirk on his lips as he said, “You know me so well, huh?”

“I do live with you,” Alex pointed out. Michael nodded and his eyes went to the flute of champagne in his hand.

“How many of those have you had?” he asked. Alex shrugged, swirled it around a bit before downing the rest.

“Three, maybe four. Yeah, four, one before dinner, one during, two since,” Alex explained. Michael nodded.

“Feelin’ good?” he asked. Alex hummed and nodded, looking over Michael’s face easily. “I’m not a champagne man.”

“Neither am I, but this shit is too expensive not to drink.”

Michael laughed, “Guess I’ll have to taste it.”

“You will.”

Alex’s eyes drifted to his lips, not for the first time. He started wondering what he actually looked like on his knees. Then he shook that thought right out of his head.

“I’m tired,” Alex said, maybe a bit louder so other people would hear. Michael grinned.

“Okay, let’s make our rounds in saying goodnight.”

They said goodnight to Michael’s coworkers that they passed on their way to say goodnight  _ specifically  _ to Curtis and Jeannie. It was an absurd amount of small talk, very  _ ‘oh, yeah, we were up early, Alex had class’  _ and  _ ‘it’s a long day, want to be fresh in the morning!’  _ and  _ ‘you know how it is, can’t wait to get this one alone, haha!’  _ It was all tragically boring and as he got closer to when he’d be free of it, Alex began to itch to get back to their room.

By the time they said goodnight to Curtis and his wife, they were basically speed walking to the elevator. Once the doors closed, Michael tugged Alex into a hug, burying his face into his neck and Alex giggled, feeling light as he draped his arms around his neck. Michael lifted him off the ground for a moment, until the doors slid open.

They made it back to their room and Alex didn’t have a moment to process anything before the door closed and Michael was closing in on him. He grabbed his face in between his hands, staring at him with the biggest smile. Alex was  _ probably  _ a little too drunk for this.

“You are so fucking good at this, I could kiss you. The flirting, the touching, the lines? Alex! You’re a genius, a pure genius. I knew they’d like you, but they  _ like  _ like you. You are so good, Alex Manes,” he gushed, peppering kisses to his forehead and his nose and his cheeks. By the time he pulled away, Alex’s face was on fire and he was smiling so wide it hurt.

“I’m just selling it,” Alex said.

“And you are doing a damn good job. I should date you more often,” Michael said. Alex nodded lamely and Michael laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling it to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I am going to go take a shower, boyfriend. You start trying to sleep off that champagne, okay?”

“Okay.”

Michael dropped his hand and turned, stepping out of his shoes on the way to the bathroom. Alex let out a breathy laugh and sat on the edge of the bed. He slowly pulled his hair down and pulled off his boots, taking a deep breath. He licked his lips and turned his head to the bathroom door, head swimming with too many thoughts as the water kicked on.

Alex changed out of his shirt and his pants into sweats and a t-shirt, climbing into bed without much thought. He tried not to think, at least. He closed his eyes and tried to lull himself to sleep.

But, when the bathroom door opened, he couldn’t help himself.

Alex peeked over the edge of the blanket and watched as Michael, dripping wet with just a towel around his waist, searched for his clothes with nothing but the bathroom light to guide him. He was gorgeous and overwhelmingly…  _ Michael. _ Alex couldn’t remember the last time he wanted something so bad as he wanted to touch Michael at that moment.

At the thought, he pulled the blanket over his head, his eyes going wide.

Oh.

Oh no.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this still counts as day 2 because i haven't slept yet and therefore it is not tomorrow
> 
> *small warning that they do drink before [insert sexual situation] but they're not drunk and it's established beforehand

Alex woke up before Michael.

Michael slept on his back with the blankets pulled up to his chin, his mouth open. Alex carefully reached over to close it before he pulled his arm back into his own space. Michael’s hair was dry now, fanning out across the pillow. He looked good. So good. Really, obnoxiously good.

Alex had lived with this man for three years. They’d known each other for way longer than that. Sure, they hadn’t really been close in high school, but they were friendly by way of Alex being friends with Liz and Liz dating Michael’s pseudo-brother. It just made sense for them to share a house.

At first, it was a little difficult to get used to. Michael had always been attractive and Alex had gotten a little flustered when he realized how often he’d go without a shirt. He worked part-time as a mechanic before he got this internship and came home regularly a fucking mess and Alex’s blood would simply rush from his brain and leave him light-headed. But, after a while, he got used to it. They got closer, touchier, more comfortable and Alex didn’t  _ see  _ him as just a hot man using his kitchen and burning himself on the stove every morning because he always forgot to keep his arm away from the pan. He was his friend.

But now he was really starting to feel like the hot man with grease stains on his face all over again, only worse, because he was giving Alex ample attention.

Alex carefully turned so his back was to Michael and he grabbed his phone, unlocking it to text Liz. He needed that for his brain.

**_Alex:_ ** _ I’m not saying you’re right, but also how would one go about not falling for a man who keeps being super nice and flirty and touchy with you _

**_Liz:_ ** _ ALEX !!!! _

**_Alex:_ ** _ shhh he’ll hear you _

**_Liz:_ ** _ ha ha. _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Make an excuse to leave. You’re gonna regret it if you don’t. _

**_Alex:_ ** _ okay, BUT what if I’ll regret it if I leave? Like I know Michael doesn’t mean any of it like that and nothing’s gonna happen, shouldn’t I just enjoy it? _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Alex that’s sad. You deserve more than just enjoying attention while it lasts. _

**_Alex:_ ** _ I mean, it’s Michael, he’s going to keep giving me attention after this because he wants attention too. He’ll just go back to normal _

**_Liz:_ ** _ please be careful, your heart is so fragile _

**_Alex:_ ** _ I’m rolling my eyes so hard right now _

**_Liz:_ ** _ make sure that’s the only thing that’s hard  _

**_Alex:_ ** _ STOP _

**_Liz:_ ** _ I’m kidding! _

**_Alex:_ ** _ pls don’t tell Max about this _

**_Liz:_ ** _ he wouldn’t listen even if I tried _

**_Alex:_ ** _??? are you sure you should be the one giving me relationship advice then? _

**_Liz:_ ** _ I MEANT because he doesn’t want to hear about Michael’s sex life, don’t be rude _

**_Alex:_ ** _ suuuuuuure _

Alex dropped his phone in shock as Michael’s alarm started blaring, the standard Samsung alarm more than a little startling. Michael apparently thought so too because he shot up and frantically reached to shut it off. Alex happily pretended to still be asleep as he slipped his phone under the pillow.

“Fuck,” Michael breathed, voice a few steps deeper due to the morning as he fell back against the pillow. He was still for a minute before shifting and Alex soon felt fingertips on his back between his shoulder blades.

Alex was absolutely, extremely, unfathomably fucked.

“You awake?” Michael asked, dragging his fingers up until he touched Alex’s bare neck. He moved his hair out of the way and everything. His voice was so deep in the morning that Alex was pretty sure he was going to have a heart attack.

“Yeah,” Alex whispered.

“Good, we gotta get up soon,” Michael said, scooting closer. Alex had never liked the sound of movement under sheets before that moment.

Michael was warm as he pressed up close behind him. Alex swallowed hard, his heart thudding in his chest and his face burning so much that his ears started ringing. His warm hand trailed down his arm and wrapped him in a hug, squeezing him so tight he never wanted to be let go.

“You’re so soft, dude, what the fuck,” Michael said, bowing his head in the crook of Alex’s neck. Alex huffed a laugh, wiggling his arm free just enough to pat his head.

They laid there for a few seconds and Alex couldn’t help but think about how nice it was to wake up to someone like this. Wake up to  _ Michael  _ like this. He took a deep breath and allowed it to sink in a little more.

Which was fine and relaxing until Michael’s lips pressed against his neck and Alex’s eyes flew open, his heart picking up pace again. It was just a short little peck, but it was there. Michael lifted his head afterward and laid it back on the pillow with no mention of it, no comment of it. It was almost jarring‒just in the best way possible.

“Okay, so, today we go to breakfast. I  _ think  _ Curtis plans to have a talk with his employees during it, so we might be separated. Keep your phone on you and good luck if we do. Then we’re going to, like, this… I guess it’d be like a pseudo-conference. Curtis is gonna give a talk about, like, balancing work and home life and some shit like that. Then, I’m sorry, but couples yoga led by Jeannie. It’s gonna feel super cult-y, but play nice because I think it’s like their secret dream jobs. Then lunch. Then a nature walk because, well, you saw this place is surrounded by trees and shit,” Michael said, sounding more awake now as he leaned over Alex’s shoulder to tell him. His hands idly played with the hem of Alex’s shirt as if this was just something they  _ do. _

“I really feel like you should’ve warned me about couples yoga, what if I don’t have anything to wear?” Alex asked. Michael paused and tilted his head.

“You’re Alex, you wear yoga-appropriate clothes all the time. You’re telling me you didn’t bring  _ one  _ pair of those leggings that are borderline obscene but you think are totally socially acceptable?” Michael asked, his voice soft and warm. 

Alex huffed a laugh, smiling easily at him as he tugged on his arm and urged him to come over him completely instead of laying half on him. Michael did so, rolling over him and laying in that tiny space between Alex and the edge of the bed. Alex held onto his hips‒so he wouldn’t fall, of course. 

“I mean, yeah, but you could’ve  _ warned  _ me.”

“My bad, I’ll warn you next time we have to do couples yoga,” Michael said flippantly. Alex snorted and nodded his head. “Anyway, then we’ll have a repeat of last night, basically, socializing and dinner, but it’ll be a little bit more casual. Tomorrow, though, brunch and then another Curtis Talk, probably a bit of free time to bond as a couple, and then an early, more secluded dinner before we get sent off.”

“How is any of that supposed to gauge how good of an employee you’ll be?” Alex asked, mindlessly rubbed a small circle against his hip.

“Uh, what do you mean? What’s more telling of someone’s character than hell well they follow instructions, keep a cool head while in new situations, poker face under stress, and how well they can play well with others that they don’t know that well and could possibly be annoying and yet have to spend a bunch of time around them?” Michael explained. Alex stared at him for a moment before he huffed a laugh.

“I didn’t even think of it like that.”

“It’s okay, I’ve got my mind on one thing and it’s this business venture,” Michael said. But then his eyes, still half-lidded and a bit dark-ringed from sleep, drifted across Alex’s face. “Well, mostly one thing.”

Alex shook his head. “Such a charmer.”

“Absolutely,” Michael said, “And so are you. That’s why we’re pulling this off so well.”

“Mm, the only reason?” Alex teased. Michael grinned and shrugged a shoulder.

“I don’t know, guess we’ll find out,” he said. Before Alex had to come up with an answer, Michael rolled towards the edge of the bed and somehow landed on his feet. Alex shook his head against and stayed in his spot. “Gonna go tame my hair. Wear something hot.”

“Don’t I always?”

“True.”

Alex’s eyes followed Michael into the bathroom, waiting for the door to click shut before he kicked his legs and covered his face with his hands.  _ Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. _

He didn’t bother messing with the smile that stayed comfortably on his face as he searched through his bag for something yoga-and-workplace appropriate. He settled on a pair of those leggings Michael apparently liked more than he realized and a flowy tank top that covered anything that could  _ really  _ be described as obscene. He pulled on a cardigan over it to give it some semblance of a day-wear vibe.

“Remind me to stand behind you when you bend over so no one just stares at your ass,” Michael said as he came out of the bathroom. Alex laughed and stood up straight from where he was bent over to plug in his charger.

“Is that just a lame excuse so you can stare at my ass?” Alex asked. Michael just shrugged and went to his own bag.

“Who’s to say.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Alex laughed, “I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t stay gone for too long, I might miss you.”

Alex rolled his eyes and closed himself in the bathroom. He took a deep breath for his own sanity, but he was simply hit with the smell of Michael’s curl cream and leave-in conditioner and that made it actually impossible to regain any semblance of sanity.

Still, he managed to focus as he dealt with his own hair, brushing through it and then pulling half of it back into a small ponytail and making it a bit purposefully messy. He again drew on his eyeliner, doing something simple because he still was working on making a good impression.

He finished up pretty easily, brushing his teeth and double-checking before he walked out. Michael was in jeans and a collared shirt. Alex scoffed 

"Wait, wait, wait,  _ you  _ get to wear jeans? Are you going to do yoga in jeans?" Alex laughed. Michael rolled his eyes, wiping his hands over his thighs.

"I've got a pair of athletic leggings underneath, but I'm not comfortable in them," Michael admitted. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Take those off, I'll give you something more comfortable," Alex told him, going to his own duffle bag. He dug through it for a second before pulling out a pair of gray sweats that were loose around the crotch and thigh area but got tight around the calves. "You'll look like an asshole, but they'll be comfier."

"Why do you own them if they make you look like an asshole?" Michael asked as he unbuttoned his jeans. He dropped them to the floor and–Yeah, those leggings didn't leave much to the imagination. Alex shook his head.

"Comfy," Alex said simply, "Also I got them a few years ago."

"Ah," Michael said, his thumbs hooking in his leggings and yanked them down. Alex averted his eyes. "I don't care if you look, Alex, nothin' you haven't seen before."

"Yeah, well," Alex breathed, swallowing. Michael laughed and took the pants. Alex gave it a few seconds before looking back at him. "Okay, tell me you have a better shirt?" 

Michael stared at him blankly.

"Michael, I know you wanted to look nice, but come on," he laughed, going back to his bag, "You're lucky I'm a chronic over-packer."

"Mm, I feel lucky," Michael hummed. Alex rolled his eyes again, but his smile came back in full force. 

Alex handed him a loose tank top that was a black version of the one Alex was wearing.

"They'll think we're cute and matching," Alex said, "Please tell me you brought at least one flannel."

"Of course I do, I'm not an animal," he scoffed. Alex grinned. 

"Go grab it and we'll go down for breakfast," Alex told him, shoving his shoulder lightly. Michael swayed forward to peck his cheek before leaning back and pulling off his shirt with one smooth motion. Alex took a deep breath.

They both slipped on their shoes and started to head towards the elevator. Again touching, poking, prodding, laughing. Alex hummed as Michael slowly backed him into the corner of the elevator.

"When the door opens, they'll think we can't keep our hands off each other," Michael said, voice low. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know that we  _ could _ keep our hands off each other," Alex said, tilting his head as he grabbed the waistband of his sweatpants and tugged him in closer. Michael’s lips parted and his eyes widened, that same level of awe on his face that he had whenever he’d make the  _ ‘on your knees’  _ comment from the night before.

“You, Alex Manes, are gonna be the fucking death of me,” Michael breathed, leaning forward until their foreheads touched.

Michael was pressed up against him at their hips, their upper body only separated by Alex’s palm. Their breath mingled between them and Alex slowly began to wonder if Michael wasn’t just teasing. Maybe he never had been. And, honestly, Alex wouldn’t mind. Actually‒wouldn’t mind was a gross understatement.

Alex, never one to back down from something that he wanted, gave him his best set of  _ ‘fuck me’  _ eyes and licked his lips. Michael breathed in deep as his eyes drifted down and then back up to meet his eyes, back and forth a few times before his head started tilting and he started moving his jaw a bit closer.

Their noses touched.

“Oh! Wow, okay,” a voice said. Michael quickly moved off Alex like they’d just been caught doing something they shouldn’t be doing‒and maybe they had been. Callie stood in the open elevator door, her bulky glasses not hiding her amused expression one bit. “Should I leave or…?”

“Sorry,” Michael said, clearing his throat. He pulled at the sides of his sweatpants before tugging at the hem of his shirt. Alex felt a little dizzy at the idea that he needed to cover something up. “Didn’t know you’d be barging in.”

“It’s an  _ elevator,  _ Guerin, you’re the one that should learn to keep it in your pants,” Callie said, walking in and letting the doors close. Alex kept his breath even as Callie gently shoved Michael.

“It’s very clearly in my pants, Kemeny,” he joked back.

“And for how long?” Callie said, gaze drifting over to Alex, “Because I  _ know  _ how you can be.”

“You that bad at keeping your cool at work?” Alex asked, raising his eyes at Michael. 

“I’m perfectly capable of self-control!” Michael argued. Alex and Callie both snorted a laugh at the same time and Michael’s bottom lip protruded in a pout. “You’re both so mean to me.”

“I’m the nicest person you’ve ever met,” Callie insisted. Michael rolled his eyes even though his pout faded. “See I was gonna slyly tell Alex I stole a good bottle of whiskey if he wanted to get away from you for a little while, but I can clearly see things have transpired.”

“Transpired?” Alex echoed.

“She knows you’re just my roommate,” Michael said, “She called me out when I told Curtis I’d be bringing my boyfriend ‘cause she knew I didn’t have one of those. And  _ nothing  _ transpired, Kemeny, we were just… playing.”

“Mhm,  _ playing.  _ That’s what I told my mom when she caught my high school boyfriend hiding under my bed.”

Michael elbowed her and hissed a childish, “Shut up.”

“I’ve said nothing,” Callie grinned.

The elevator doors opened and she walked out first. Michael glanced over at Alex before holding out his hand.

“Breakfast?” he asked. Alex took it willingly and let himself be led to the dining area.

There were a lot of things Alex knew about Michael. He was touchy and flirty and he was a genius. Clearly, he wasn’t the only one who knew that. He was obvious enough that Callie knew and they didn’t hang out outside of work as far as Alex knew. And, surely, it was normal for people to fall for Michael.

However, it never occurred to him that he’d be interested in Alex that way. It was fun to push with no expectation and fun to push with  _ theories. You’re just my roommate,  _ Michael had said,  _ nothing transpired.  _ So he must’ve meant it that way. Alex had a little crush, but Michael didn’t reciprocate. They were just playing. This was just what he did.

Which was fine. But how much playing could Alex get away with?

“So,” Alex started as he stabbed the cube of cantaloupe with his fork, “Playing, huh?”

Michael pointed at him with his own fork. “Not you fucking with me too.”

“I’m not!” Alex laughed, “Just, you know, wondering.”

_ You’re roommates,  _ his brain suddenly reminded him,  _ stop it before you fuck that up. _ Alex didn’t stop. He didn’t  _ want  _ to. This weekend wasn’t real anyway.

“Why?” Michael asked, slowly lowering his fork. Alex shrugged.

“I mean, this weekend isn’t really, like, serious, you know? Things go back to normal when we go home,” Alex said. Michael stared at him for a long few seconds.

“What do you mean?” he wondered.

“This  _ is  _ the first Valentine’s since my junior year of high school that I’m not getting laid,” Alex pointed out, grabbing his glass of coffee and taking a sip.

“Jesus, Alex,” Michael breathed, laughing softly as he shook his head as he stood to go have breakfast with his coworkers in the other room, “You’re gonna make a man do something stupid one day.”

Alex shrugged, a smile on his face.

“Do it. I dare you.”

-

Curtis was, in the nicest way, not meant to be a public speaker.

Despite his well-written script that he had memorized, his charismatic personality, and the flashy PowerPoint, he had no fucking stage presence. He wasn’t captivating to watch and it was the most boring thing Alex had sat through in awhile. Michael nearly passed out four times and Alex had resorted to pinching his thigh to keep him away.

“I’m gonna have bruises,” Michael grumbled as they moved towards the room they’d be doing couples yoga in.

“I wasn’t about to ruin all your hard work by letting you fall asleep,” Alex hummed. Michael took a deep breath.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Alex had done yoga a pretty decent amount before, mainly with Maria back in high school and then with random other friends that wanted someone to go with them. He wasn’t bad at it and he definitely didn’t hate it, it was just never something he really remembered to keep up with without someone else. 

Michael, on the other hand, probably had never done anything similar to it in his entire life. Alex wasn’t even sure he could touch his toes and he wasn’t even that tall. Though, with Isobel around, it didn’t make sense. Still, Alex didn’t have high expectations.

They sat beside each other on a relatively large mat, waiting for things to get started. Michael kept looking over at him as if waiting for him to do something, though Alex wasn’t sure what. He ignored it, though, and shrugged off his cardigan and placed his phone in the bundle. Michael slowly mimicked him with his flannel and put it beside them on the mat.

“Alex,” Michael whispered.

“Hm?” 

“About what you said earlier…”

“When?” Alex asked. Michael blinked at him and then shook his head.

“Nevermind.”

Alex eyed him for a moment and then wondered if just by bringing it up that morning had been pushing their little game of pretend too far. Maybe it wasn’t as pretend as he was assuming. Alex turned his head to him entirely and made eye contact.

“If I made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry. I was just joking. I don’t mind you being touchy and cuddly, but I also don’t expect anything like that from you either, okay? You’re my best friend,” Alex said honestly, keeping his voice low. Michael nodded slowly.

“Okay,” he said, “You’re my best friend too.”

They stared at each other for a few more seconds until Jeannie started talking and they had to pay attention.

She led them through a bunch of exercises. They sat with their backs together and stretched each other’s spine (Alex was indeed more flexible than Michael who complained at every big movement). When Alex had to lay against him to stretch, it was fine, but when  _ Michael  _ had to lay on  _ Alex,  _ it was a little bit more tense.

“Tell me if I’m crushing you,” he whispered. Alex huffed a laugh.

“You literally couldn’t crush me if you wanted to.”

“I mean… I could, though,” he said, “If I squeezed.”

Alex took a deep breath and had to tell him to shut up. He did, thankfully.

They eventually moved to have their feet pressed together and pulling each other forward and Alex was met again with Michael’s lack of bending. He could pull Alex until he was almost bent in half, but Michel struggled to even get a little bit.

“I do not believe no man has tried to bend you in half before,” Alex mumbled. Michael gave a pathetic little whine.

“They always worked me up to it at least.”

“Mental images all around.”

A few more stretches, more touching, more becoming viscerally acquainted with Michael’s body. It was meant to be for non-sexual intimacy and trust, but Alex couldn’t help himself. It was a little overwhelming the longer he had to help him stretch and work up a sweat.

By the time it was over and Alex felt loose and pliable, it was almost cruel to just tell them to go get freshened up for lunch in an hour.

“I wasn’t uncomfortable, by the way,” Michael said as they walked into their room, more distance between them on the way up than there had been since they arrived at the trip, “I just didn’t really understand what you meant.”

“But you do now?” Alex wondered. 

“I think so.”

With a newfound understanding of some sort, they took turns cleaning up. Once Alex came back out of the bathroom, he found Michael curled up in bed again. Temptation was too much and he walked near him, reaching out to run his fingers through his hair. Michael’s eyes slid open slowly.

“I want a nap,” Michael whined, “Let’s skip lunch.”

“Well, we can’t skip, that’d be bad,” Alex said, “But we can lay down for a few minutes.”

“Set an alarm, please?” Michael asked, pouting. Alex did, setting one for ten minutes before lunch was scheduled. “Set?”

“Yeah, so‒”

Michael cut him off by grabbing his arm and tugging him down. Alex landed on top of him with wide eyes, but he didn’t seem to mind as he wrapped his arms around him and held him there. So apparently they were an equal enough understanding to do that.

Alex bowed his head against his chest and happily let himself stay kept there, crush be damned.

-

“Alex. Alex. Alex. Alex.  _ Alex. _ ”

“Oh my God, shut up or I’m going to push you into that creek.”

“It’s important.”

Alex took a deep breath and pulled out his earbuds to give Michael his attention. They’d agreed that on the nature hike, Michael would let Alex listen to some of the pieces he had to have memorized for his test in a couple of weeks. But  _ apparently  _ Gesualdo’s  _ Moro, lasso, al mio duolo  _ wasn’t as important as whatever he had to say was.

“Look,” he whispered from where he was crouched by the creek. Alex sighed and walked closer, leaning over his shoulder. In the water, there was nothing but tadpoles. “ _ Look,  _ this one has its legs and everything.”

“This was important?” Alex asked softly.

Michael blinked up at him and nodded. Alex sighed and sat beside him, taking one of his earbuds and putting it in Michael’s ear.

They listened to renaissance music and watched the tadpoles together for well over an hour before they had to go get ready for dinner and somehow, stupidly, that did nothing but make Alex feel like he was crushing even more. And suddenly the game wasn’t funny or playful and he was starting to feel like it was too much.

**_Alex:_ ** _ mistakes have been made. He listened to Gesualdo and des Prez with me by water while we watched tadpoles what kind of backwoods ass romcom am I living in Liz help _

**_Liz:_ ** _ ABORT MISSION _

**_Alex:_ ** _ I CAN’T  _

**_Alex:_ ** _ I’D BE THE WORST FRIEND EVER _

**_Alex:_ ** _ Liz _

**_Alex:_ ** _ he listened to the three masses with me _

**_Liz:_ ** _ oh no _

**_Liz:_ ** _ how can he do that and expect you not to fall in love with him??? _

**_Alex:_ ** _ THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING _

**_Alex:_ ** _ oh my godddd _

**_Liz:_ ** _ maybe he likes you back??? I’m literally catholic and I simply could not _

**_Alex:_ ** _...why would you give me false hope like that _

**_Liz:_ ** _ I’M JUST SAYING _

**_Liz:_ ** _ play it cool. Don’t drink too much. One more night. _

**_Alex:_ ** _ if he corners me in the elevator again, that’s it, I’m jumping him _

**_Liz:_ ** _ HE DID WHAT? _

“Literally what the fuck,” Michael scoffed, “How do you look so good? How did I go so many years without knowing I was bisexual when you were  _ right there? _ ”

Alex rolled his eyes as he buttoned up his shirt. He left the top two open, but he usually left three or four. Modesty, he supposed. At least for his own sanity.

“I don’t know, denial?” Alex suggested. Michael laughed, coming up behind him in the mirror. He wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on his shoulder. Alex was going to faint. “You keep sayin’ stuff like that without an audience and I’m gonna start thinking you like me.”

Michael took a deep breath and shrugged, hugging Alex tight.

“Menace,” Alex accused. Michael’s brilliant response was to let his teeth drag across Alex’s neck.

Because that’s apparently what friends did.

“Michael,” Alex said, a little more serious than intended. Michael tilted his head in attention, arms already beginning to loosen up. “Don’t fuck with me like that.”

“Who said I was fucking with you?” Michael asked.

They stared at each other in the mirror for an absurdly long time. Alex’s mind was racing through all the things that had happened yesterday and today and how it was a lot of confusing things that were all his best friend just being flirty because they were faking it. And Alex thought he pushed too far by making it too real, but apparently, he wasn’t even the worst offender.

“We have a dinner to go to.”

“Yeah,” Michael said, “We do.”

It was officially the longest dinner Alex ever had to sit through.

While Michael didn’t corner him in the elevator, he did hold his hand beneath the table while they ate. And then it went from resting on top of Alex’s leg to between his thighs and steadily moving up. Alex’s heart was thudding in his chest and his stomach grew warm at the same speed his slacks grew tighter. He stayed still, managing not to shift even as Michael very much decided to screw all professional behavior.

“Aren’t you supposed to be showing how good of an employee you’ll be?” Alex hissed at him at the loudest point of conversation so no one would overhear. 

Michael’s thumb traced the seam beside his zipper.

“I am,” Michael, smiling like they were talking about the wine, “Poker face while under stressful situations. You’re so good, Alex, no one suspects anything. Best decision I’ve ever made.”

“Well, yeah, this isn’t the first time some boy with a pretty face has felt me up under the table of important people,” Alex responded, his face calm despite the fact he was losing his damn mind. Not only with confusion, but also because  _ what the fuck.  _ “Though, last time, he wasn’t trying to win them over.”

Michael shrugged, just casually rubbing their joint hands against him as if he was just being sweet. He was quite literally being the opposite of sweet.

Alex leaned closer to put his lips by his ear so he could whisper, “I thought we were friends,” without anyone hearing.

“Friends can’t help each other out?”

“Didn’t realize we were at that level of friendship.”

“Weren’t you the one who said this weekend wasn’t real?”

“Fair enough. Keep going.”

Alex focused back on his food and Michael’s coworkers, making small talk with ease despite the fact he was just steady getting more and more worked up by just too much pointless movement and not enough actual friction. Michael’s face was completely normal as did the same. Both of them sipped their wine and no one suspected anything.

Maybe that made them bad people, but Alex didn’t even fucking  _ care  _ anymore.

It did get a little difficult when they stopped sitting and had to walk around and chat. Michael thankfully pulled away long enough for Alex to calm down a little, but his mind was still on it as he stayed glued to Michael’s side.

“You play the piano? So do I! Well, I haven’t played in a while,” a girl whose name Alex couldn’t remember said.

“It’s like riding a bike, you don’t forget it,” he said, laughing warmly. Michael’s hand was low on his back. Normally it wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary. Currently, Alex was about to explode.

“I bet! I’ll have to play sometime again. Oh, wait, let me go get Ivan, he’s a classically trained violinist,” she said, turning to go find him. Michael leaned into his ear.

“The more composed you are, the harder it is to keep my hands to myself,” he said. Alex huffed a laugh.

“They have  _ never  _ been kept to yourself.”

“You get what I mean.”

“Yeah, I really do.”

Ivan came up and they talked. Will came up and they talked. Callie, Emily, Alisha, etc, etc, etc.

“The more I look at you, the more I think we should leave,” Michael said as the night started to wind down and Alex  _ needed  _ to get away from all of them.

“Then let’s go. Let’s leave,” he said, Michael nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Michael! Alex!” Jeannie called before they could make a run for it.

“Oh my  _ god,”  _ Alex whined softly. Michael grinned.

“Hey!” Michael cheered. Alex put on his award-winning smile to match.

“Can I just say you boys are the sweetest?” Jeannie said, her voice hushed as if it was a secret, “So many couples come to this thing and I’m not even sure they  _ like  _ each other. And, honestly, I’m so over men who just complain about their spouses at work. It’s nice to see you two. You’re really in love and it’s so comforting to know that it’s still something you can find.”

_ If only she knew. _

“Thank you so much,” Alex said earnestly, “I think people just need to find something worth fighting for.”

“I completely agree! Seems you’ve found it,” she grinned. When Michael’s hold on him tightened, Alex didn’t react. 

“We try.”

“Ah, well, I don’t wanna keep you. I know two lovebirds like you wanna go celebrate Valentine’s Day properly, so go on! I’ll see you in the morning,” Jeannie said, shooing them away.

“Goodnight,” they said together, not even arguing as they headed for the elevator.

“Is it weird that your boss’s wife thinks we’re gonna have sex in a room they’re paying for?” Alex asked. Michael took a deep.

“Probably less weird if she’s right.”

“I totally agree.”

Alex had never kissed Michael before.

It wasn’t like he’d never had the opportunity‒they’d been at parties together where it’d totally been plausible. Michael had drunkenly climbed into his bed and puckered his lips for a kiss before. Alex had been cornered in the elevator this very morning where he could’ve if he wanted to.

But the point was that he hadn’t and yet, when he finally did, there was no adjustment needed. They stumbled into their room attached by their lips, frantically trying to touch any and every part of each other that they could. Alex forgot he was his roommate and best friend, he forgot that this was a boy he had a crush on and he was very certain  _ didn’t  _ feel the same way, and he did nothing but pull him closer.

He got Michael out of his shirt and his pants, pushing him onto the bed and kneeling between his spread legs. Alex breathed heavily as he trailed his fingertips over Michael’s chest and arms and thighs. A pout formed on his face as he realized the pinching from earlier actually did bruise him.

“You bruise so easy, I’m sorry,” Alex said, moving to kiss over the little tiny marks. Michael heaved a breath. “I’ll be careful.”

“Alex, honestly, I don’t care if you’re careful as long as I can cover it,” Michael insisted. Alex’s hand stayed on his thigh as the other one slid back up to his chest. He liked touching him. He wanted to do it forever.

“You’re strong. And you did so good today, so good for me,” Alex told him, his thumb rubbing small circles into his upper inner thigh. Michael’s eyes slid closed and he swallowed hard. And the compliments from the last couple of days suddenly made a  _ lot  _ more sense.

“Alex,” he breathed out. And it sounded nice.

“Michael,” Alex said back softly, leaning down to kiss him on the lips just once, “Let me see what you look like on your knees.”

“Okay.”

And, truly, Alex didn’t care about how right Liz was anymore.

Fair enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for all the miscommunication and slight confusion, it still malex


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was like. Obscenely late. Ice storm came and robbed me of my sweet, sweet wifi and I couldn't post. I hope everyone who had to deal with bad weather over the weekend (or whenever bad weather comes your way) stayed safe and warm and I hope you like this very late, final installment of my malex cupid fic!

Alex woke up to a heavyweight on his spine.

It took him a few moments to register it and he had to crane his neck a bit, but, sure enough, Michael was passed out against his back. His cheek was smushed against it and he was definitely drooling a little bit, but Alex didn’t mind. With a sigh, he let his head fall back against the pillow.

His eyes closed as he thought about the night before. About kissing and touching every inch of him that he could. Neither of them really  _ anticipated  _ that, so they didn’t have lube to do anything too strenuous, but they definitely managed to have fun regardless. Maybe it was too early, but he didn’t regret it. It felt good and they worked weirdly well together.

However, the peace of it all only lasted a few minutes before Michael’s alarm started to go off.

“Why does the world hate me?” Michael whined, slowly peeling himself off of Alex to go turn it off. In that time, Alex flipped onto his back. It didn’t stop Michael from falling right back down onto his chest. “You don’t have any chest hair.”

“Good morning to you too, I guess,” Alex laughed, raking his hands through Michael’s fucked up hair. They needed a shower. They were going to take one the night before, but they very quickly got distracted. “I shave it or get it waxed, it gets itchy.”

“Really?” Michael said, scratching his chest gently, “Mine doesn’t.”

“I think it really only starts getting itchy once you’ve started shaving it. Like Liz says she doesn’t get how Max has such hairy legs without it being itchy because hers get that way if she tries to go more than a week,” Alex explained, yawning halfway through. Michael hummed thoughtfully and then turned to prop his chin upon his chest.

“Sounds plausible,” Michael decided. Alex hummed softly, letting his eyes slip closed out of pure selfish reasons. He was warm and comfortable and he didn’t want to get up. “We can stay in bed a little later if you want. Brunch instead of breakfast, remember.”

“How long until then? ‘Cause we both need showers,” Alex pointed out. Michael shifted, moving up a bit more until Alex sensed him just hovering above. He opened his eyes slowly to look at him.

“Two hours,” Michael said softly, eyes drifting across his face, “But we could take one together. Save water and time.”

Alex huffed a laugh, rubbing his hand up and down his arm before leading it up to his neck.

“Genius.”

“Yeah.”

Michael moved down, kissing him much slower than he had the night before. He let the rest of his body press up against Alex which made it very clear he hadn’t bothered to put any clothes on. Alex had at least remembered boxers.

“You’re so warm,” Alex said fondly, his hand gliding over his broad shoulders and the dip of his back.

Michael smiled softly, his nose nudging against Alex’s before his tongue made its way into his mouth without hesitation. Alex tugged him closer and kissed him deeper, not quite ready to let him go. He didn’t think he’d ever be ready to let him go.

Alex wasn't sure how long they laid there just kissing as if they did this all the time. Maybe they could make it a new habit because it was just... nice. Nice to wake up and have him there and have full reign.

Michael was his roommate. They'd lived together for three years. How the hell hadn't this occurred to him before? And this... this wasn't even a stupid crush that he had because Michael was doting on him. He liked him. He *wanted this.

However, Alex managed to keep his expectations low despite his desires being high. They fell into bed the night before under the understanding that this was just a one-time thing, friends helping friends, they were already pretending to date and so why not? That was the precedent. Alex couldn't and wouldn't expect more.

"Do you know what today is?" Michael asked as he broke the kiss and slowly started leaving soft pecks down his neck. Alex snorted.

"Don't be cheesy."

"It's Valentine's day," he said anyway, "I didn't get you anything."

"I didn't expect you to get me anything."

"Well, that makes me a bad boyfriend," Michael hummed, lifting himself up just enough to look at him in the eye, "So what do you want?"

"You really don’t wanna ask me that,” Alex whispered, eyes training on his mouth. He put his hand on Michael’s cheek and let his thumb graze his bottom lip. Michael took a shaky breath.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” Alex said as he took a deep breath and watched Michael follow his thumb with his tongue, “Might make you fall in love with me.”

Michael huffed a laugh, smiling wider by the second. Alex liked the way it felt. He liked how all of this felt.

“Alex,” he said, shaking his head a bit. Alex raised an eyebrow but didn’t get to say anything before Michael started gravitating down. “Alex. Tell me what you want.”

Alex replaced his thumb with his lips, breathing him in. He arched his back into him and reveled in the feeling of skin on skin. How had he not wanted this before the weekend?

Simple, he realized after a few seconds of thought, he had wanted it before. He just didn’t notice that it was an option. And, it wasn’t. Not really. This was temporary. But,  _ God, _ it felt good.

“This. I just want this,” Alex said, voice barely a whisper and somehow still a beg.

Michael, ever the obedient caretaker, slipped his hand behind his back while the other went to his knee and hiked his leg up onto his hip. Alex’s hand slipped into his hair and kissed him deeper. He swallowed every noise he made.

Alex had known he was gay for as long as he could remember. He’d hooked up with boys from all walks of life since he moved for college: pretentious young artists, bratty trust-fund babies, a couple of football players who weren’t out yet, and a rich 50-year-old who very clearly had a lot of experience. None of it held a candle to this, to Michael kissing him and grinding against him and choosing this over spending time making good impressions.

That almost made it more surreal, that he was  _ choosing  _ this. He could’ve woken up awkward, could’ve blamed it on the wine, but he instead kissed and touched Alex more. It felt like he was being lit on fire from the inside in the best way.

Michael moved his hand between them, palming Alex over his boxers with no shame.

“I can’t believe we, two adult queer men, didn’t fucking bring  _ lube  _ or more than the one condom you had stuffed in your duffle bag _ ,”  _ Alex groaned, feeling a bit lightheaded as Michael didn’t stop. He just laughed softly, rocking against him.

“It’d been a little presumptuous if we had, don’t you think?” Michael asked. Alex genuinely, from the bottom of his heart, didn’t give a fuck about being presumptuous anymore. “I mean, if you wanna try, we can‒”

“Nope.”

Michael laughed, “You didn’t even hear what I was gonna say!”

“I know you. Spit only works if you want it to hurt,” Alex said. Michael huffed a laugh, tongue flicking across Alex’s lips because that’s apparently something he thought was a calm and collected thing to do.

“Fair enough. But if you wanna‒”

“No, nope,” Alex laughed, slapping his hand over his mouth. Michael beamed at him. “I’m not so impatient that I’ll risk a trip to the hospital. And we still don’t have a condom, so I can wait.”

Michael twisted his head until Alex moved it off his mouth, favored the feeling of raking it through his hair. His face went all soft in response like a cat that sincerely wanted to be pet. Alex scratched his scalp for extra measure.

“Fine,” Michael hummed, “We can wait.”

And Alex was quite sure he was going to fucking explode at this point. Waiting implied it was going to happen again and not when they were in this little bubble where they were boyfriends, but when they got home and were back to normal.

“Let’s go take a shower,” Alex said softly, needing to stay busy before he got his hopes up too high.

Michael nodded and got up slowly, leaving him with a few more kisses before he climbed out of bed. He stretched up and Alex took in the shape of him. His muscular back, his long torso, his tan skin, his nice ass.

He was so completely and utterly fucked.

-

“Okay, wait, how do you do this?”

“It’s not hard.”

“Clearly it is because I have no idea how you make it look good.”

Alex was grinning so wide it hurt as he watched Michael through the mirror. Michael had taken ahold of the blow dryer in the middle of Alex drying his hair and did it for him, combing through it and everything. When it got the pair Alex usually just pulled it back into a little ponytail and ruffled what didn’t fit, Michael got that intense look on his face and his tongue stuck out of his mouth as he tried to figure it out. Alex was giddy as he tied it back, decided it looked wrong, and took it down over and over. 

“My hair is short, it’s not going to be perfect,” Alex said. When he’d gotten it cut the last time, they’d cut it to be chin-length (three inches shorter than requested) and he was still dealing with the consequences of not just driving down to Roswell to have Maria do it. “Just take your thumbs, try to get an even amount from both sides, and tie up the top half.”

“That’s what I’ve been doing.”

“And it’s looked fine. I’m gonna have to wash my hair all over again if you don’t stop soon,” Alex teased. Michael scrunched up his nose irritably and rolled his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried one more time. It looked nearly identical. “See? It looks fine.”

“How do you make yourself look so good? I’d be jealous if I didn’t get the benefit of looking at you every day,” Michael said. Alex rolled his eyes, but couldn’t deny the warm feeling that rushed through his system.

“Luck.”

“Mm, I believe it,” Michael hummed, moving some of Alex’s hair out of the way to leave a kiss on his neck. Soft and sweet and definitely not long enough. “Okay, okay, get away from me or I’m going to drag you back to bed.”

“See, that’s not going to convince me to get away from you.”

“No lube, no condom,” Michael recited, like a mantra that was more for himself than Alex as he took a backward step towards his bag. It reminded him that he was still in just a towel.

“Are you so boring that you can’t think of anything to do with those limitations?” Alex asked. Michael swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and turned around.

“It’s on days like these I ask myself, ‘Self, why have you let yourself be drawn in by lust and temptation? Is it not enough to admire from afar?’” Michael spoke wistfully as he dug through his bag. Childish giggles slipped through Alex’s mouth. “No, apparently, it’s not. I’ve been a respectful roommate and upstanding member of society, keeping my thoughts to myself for years and then I get one taste and I’m nothing but a useless sack of needing-to-pleasure-Alex cells. That’s it.”

“Years, huh?” Alex asked. Michael froze for a moment before he shook it off and pulled out a pair of chinos and a collared shirt. 

“No. I don’t know, maybe. Yeah. I don’t know,” Michael mumbled, dropping his towel. Alex bit down on his bottom lip and took a very careful breath, trying not to do something embarrassing like twirl around the room and sing  _ I Feel Pretty  _ at the top of his lungs.

Definitely feeling pretty and witty and gay at the moment.

Instead of focusing on that‒because, wow, that’s a lot to focus on‒Alex took out his eyeliner and drew his wings a bit more bold than he had been the last two days. Riding on that high, he even flipped his septum down. If Michael thought it’d be a problem, he’d tell him before they got downstairs. Hopefully. One of Michael’s female coworkers had multi-colored hair so it  _ should  _ be fine.

He took a step back and looked over himself. Black checkered pants, a loose black button-up that was half tucked in and half out, his hair a Michael special. He looked good. He felt better.

By the time he picked up his phone, he realized he hadn’t actually texted Liz since The Before and she was probably freaking out. As told by her series of messages.

**_Liz:_ ** _ HELLO ALEX HE DID W H A T? _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Do I need to get Isobel on his ass?  _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Are you okay? It’s been a couple hours _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Text me when you can and let me know if I need to come rescue you in the middle of the night _

**_Liz:_ ** _ It’s the middle of the night, I’m going to bed, so I hope you don’t need saving. _

**_Liz:_ ** _ However, if you don’t text me by tomorrow, I will assume you have been murdered and I will be filing a police report. _

**_Liz:_ ** _ It’s currently 7:30 AM. You have until 10 before I assume the worst. _

**_Alex:_ ** _ jesus liz _

**_Liz:_ ** _ OH NOW HE ANSWERS  _

**_Alex:_ ** _ I am in fact alive _

**_Liz:_ ** _ What happened last night??? You went MIA  _

**_Alex:_ ** _ ………. _

**_Liz:_ ** _ NO YOU DID NOT _

**_Alex:_ ** _ Listen. He’s really good at giving head. _

**_Liz:_ ** _ I could’ve gone my whole life without knowing that but OH MY GOD _

**_Liz:_ ** _ WHAT HAPPENED TO SELF CONTROL _

**_Alex:_ ** _ Went out the door along with my dignity apparently _

**_Liz:_ ** _ For real tho are you okay? That probably wasn’t great for your crush _

**_Alex:_ ** _ I think it’ll be okay. I’m not keeping my hopes up or anything and I’m gonna have a real conversation with him once we leave, but for right now I’m content with him kissing me constantly _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Oh shit it’s still going on? _

**_Alex:_ ** _ It is still going on 😌 _

**_Alex:_ ** _ Remind me next time I go on a random trip with someone that even if I don’t expect to get laid I should bring condoms _

**_Liz:_ ** _ omg Alex did you pay attention to sex ed at all _

**_Alex:_ ** _ literally no I did not, half of it was no use to me _

**_Liz:_ ** _ sigh. What am I going to do with you _

“Alright, let’s go get brunch. Don’t let me have mimosas because if I drink at all, I can’t promise I won’t get myself fired,” Michael said. Alex slipped his phone into his back pocket to look at him, a grin easily finding his face.

“Aw, you look like such a little frat boy.”

“I  _ am  _ in a fraternity.”

“We don’t talk about that, it’s bad for my health,” Alex said, tilting his head back as Michael moved in and grabbed his hips. One hand moved up to his chin, holding him in place as he kissed him. “Can I have mimosas, though? I promise not to get messy.”

“You can have literally whatever you want,” Michael murmured against his mouth, leaving him one more kiss before he pulled away. “Let’s go.”

Somehow, going downstairs and parading in front of everyone as a couple didn’t feel any different than it had the first two days. They made small talk and ate good food and Alex drank two mimosas alongside Michael’s coffee.

“I can’t get over how cute you two are,” Alisha said, somehow having found her way to them again. Alex gave a warm smile despite wanting to slip and hide beneath the table at the sight of her. In her defense, so did the sight of everyone else. “You’re literally, like, glowing.”

“Well, what can I say? He just does something to me,” Michael said wistfully, giving Alex a face that said he was teasing. Alex held back a smile.

“It’s like you’re still in the honeymoon phase!” Alisha said. Alex almost laughed out loud that that. They kind of  _ were  _ in the honeymoon phase. It would just be drastically shorter than everyone else’s because it would end by the time they got home tonight.

That alone was almost laughably horrible.

“It’s easy when he’s got a face like that,” Michael cooed, reaching out to pinch his cheek. Alex laughed and leaned away only to be tugged back closer. 

It was going to be weird when Michael wasn’t attached to his side anymore.

After brunch, they were supposed to have a nature walk again, but before Michael and Alex could go on their way, Jeannie and Curtis called them back. A few other interns turned and looked, but they went on their merry way until it was basically just the four of them.

“Come walk with us for a bit, I wanted to show you two my favorite place,” Jeannie said, a big smile on her face. Alex locked eyes with Michael for a moment and then they began to follow.

“You know, Michael, I was going through all the supervisor notes that Khalil has for your group. You’re a standout. Very focused and hardworking, but I see it’s probably helpful that you have a strong support system,” Curtis pointed out as they walked. The two of them were much more appropriately dressed for a nature walk than Michael and Alex, but, in their defense, they just planned to go to the creek again. 

“Thank you, Sir,” Alex said before Michael had the chance to, “He deserves it.”

“I think so too,” Curtis said, warm and fatherly and Michael found Alex’s hand and  _ squeezed,  _ “You make a good team. I’ve watched how you know when to let the other do the talking when they’ll be better equipped. That’s very important if you want to climb ranks.”

Alex raised a suggestive eyebrow at Michael who just held onto him tighter. He rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb in hopes it’d help him calm down.

“Alex, when are you set to graduate?”

“This fall, if all goes well. Taking a couple of summer classes to help get there,” Alex said. Curtis nodded and looked over at Michael.

“And you’re set to graduate this semester,” he said‒not a question. Michael nodded evenly, eyes flitting to Alex as if looking for permission. Alex nodded back. “What’s the plan for after college?”

“Well, I already take piano gigs for some of the local schools’ choirs and give a few piano lessons to a few young kids, hoping to expand though. My kind of thing can pretty much go anywhere,” Alex said, knowing it sounded good. No big, painful uproot if he needed Michael in a different branch somewhere across the US. You know‒because to him they were  _ together _ . Long term.

“And I’m just hoping to keep working for Disionic in any way I can,” Michael said. Alex squeezed his hand in approval.

“For how long, do you think?” Jeannie asked. Michael’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked over at Alex. He mouthed a  _ ‘forever’  _ at him, watched him gulp, and smiled encouragingly. It was a big and false commitment. Big companies  _ really  _ liked it when they feel you’ve signed your life away to them.

“For as long as I can.”

“And you’d be willing to go to other branches if we needed you? We’ve got a branch in New York and Houston, but we plan to open another at some point in the next five years. And hopefully expanding in some other, more inventive work. Would you be interested in that, Michael?” Jeannie said.

Alex had always been aware that, when it came to things like this, there was an important balance between partners. Curtis wasn’t wrong in saying that a nice balance, knowing who needs to speak when, was important and helpful. Alex had been under the impression that while Jeannie was the warm one who was probably a fantastic hostess and enjoyed it, Curtis was the strong businessman who really only focused on the  _ business  _ part of things. Now, Alex quickly caught up to the realization that, while that may be true, Jeannie called the shots.

For a stupid second, Alex pictured him and Michael like that in a few years.

Funny how he spent his whole life wanting to get away from that environment and 1.5 hookups later, he was ready to sign up for a lifetime of being a good hostess.

“Absolutely, Mrs. Iverson. I-I’m obviously still learning how everything like this works, but I’m a fast learner,” Michael insisted. Jeannie laughed.

“I hope to watch you do that over the next couple of years,” Jeannie said, “Right, Curtis?”

“Nothing’s official yet,” he said, looking over at Michael with a fond smile, “But I do think there’s a more permanent spot for you in our business.”

Again with the squeezing Alex’s hand so hard it nearly hurt. 

“After you graduate, of course,” Jeannie tacked on.

“After you graduate.”

“Thank you so much,” Michael said, trying to keep his excitement to the bare minimum. 

Alex thought it was adorable though he didn’t know why he was so surprised. Michael had regularly gained favoritism from many, many people throughout his life. Teachers, bosses, baristas, the bus driver that would literally wait for him if he was running a few minutes late. Michael was an easy face to love and he worked hard and he was endlessly kind.

And each moment that passed Alex wondered how he’d been so blind to his own favoritism.

“Oh, and here’s what I wanted to show you,” Jeannie said as they started moving uphill a bit.

They stopped as they got to the edge, a cliff that overlooked a decent-sized body of water. It must’ve been where the little creek they’d sat by yesterday led to. There was a metaphor in there somewhere.

“This is where my Curtis brought me nearly 25 years ago now where he told me everything he wanted to do in the future and asked me to be a part of it,” Jeannie said, looking up at Curtis with a nearly disgustingly fond look. Alex  _ wanted  _ that. “I think it’s a good place to talk.”

“And, speaking of, Alvaro is calling,” Curtis said as his phone started ringing. He gave a polite nod and turned, immediately answering the call in Spanish. Alex was actually pretty impressed with his accent.

“Right, well, let me go make sure he places nice. You two have fun and make sure you come to sit by us at lunch, alright?” Jeannie said, waving goodbye as she followed her husband down the slope.

Michael and Alex didn’t speak as they waited impatiently for them to get out of sight and, hopefully, out of earshot.

“Alex,” Michael whispered, “Alex, I think I’m going to throw up.”

“What, why? Are you okay?” Alex asked, letting go of his hand to rub his back. Michael’s face, finally free of schooling himself for Jeannie and Curtis, was full of pure shock and disbelief. “Hey, this is a good thing.”

“I know it’s a good thing, it-it just feels  _ really  _ real all of the sudden. Like.  _ Really  _ real. Like, I don’t get it levels of real. I’m not supposed to have this,” Michael whispered, shaking his head as he looked out to the water. Alex took a step closer.

“What are you talking about? You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met and you’ve worked your ass off. You deserve this more than anyone,” Alex insisted. Michael shook his head.

“I’m supposed to still be barely scraping by in Roswell. I’m-I’m never supposed to get out. I’m supposed to become another statistic,” Michael said, looking over at Alex with furrowed eyebrows, “I’m only here because you gave me a place to live.”

“Shut up, I didn’t do anything. You would’ve found a way and you would’ve been right here with or without me giving you a place to live,” Alex insisted, “That was purely selfish reasons, too, I didn’t wanna live alone.”

“But Curtis was right. I-I get by because, like, a support system. I get by ‘cause of you,” Michael said. Alex again rolled his eyes.

“You’re giving me way too much credit here. You’ve got Isobel and Max and a whole group of friends. And back in Roswell you’ve got Sanders and Mimi and Arturo who would’ve done anything to see you thrive. And that’s not even counting the tons of people who gave you opportunities. Look, you’re definitely lucky and you could’ve very easily ended up stuck in Roswell without a little of that luck, but you’re also hardworking and smart. Playing the system is a part of this life we’ve been dealt, okay? And you’re playing it well,” Alex explained. Michael took a deep breath.

“You play it better,” he whispered.

“Will you stop making this about me?” Alex laughed, putting his hand on his cheek, “You’ve done great this entire weekend and clearly well enough for the last few months if Khalil talked you up that much.”

Michael stared at him for a long few seconds, silence. He looked tired and overwhelmed in a way he hadn’t this morning like everything had suddenly just hit him. Alex tried not to get worried about what else might’ve just hit him. He leaned forward despite himself and kissed his cheek slowly before pulling back, smiling in the most encouraging way possible.

“What if I don’t want to do it without you?” Michael asked.

Alex blinked once, twice, three times as he processed his words. He didn’t move away.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we make a good team. And… And I like having this with you. I like doing this. I’m comfortable with you and I trust you and I’m not nervous,” Michael said, huffing a soft laugh as he looked away for a moment before looking back, “Everything else is new and scary and way out of my depth and, like, technically you are too, but you don’t feel like it. You feel safe. And I wanna do this with you. Charm the pants off of rich people and then have sex in rooms they pay for. Or in our own bed or whatever. You get the point.”

“Yeah,” Alex whispered, taking a shaky breath and he really thought about just stripping and jumping into the water below. He probably would’ve if he knew it was deep enough. “I think I get it.”

“I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time,” Michael said, then quickly looked at him with wide eyes, “That’s definitely not me saying our first ‘I love you’, I’m just, like, saying.” Alex laughed, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he nodded. “Thing is, I didn’t realize we’d be a good fit. Or that we’d be too risky and it’d be messy if we broke up. Now… Now I feel stupid for not noticing it before. You literally feel perfect to me, for me. That’s dumb. This is embarrassing. I just wanna kiss you and pretend I’m Robin Hood and do scandalous things like feel you up beneath the table while my boss sits across from us for, like, the rest of my life or whatever.”

“Michael,” Alex laughed, putting his other hand on his other cheek and just holding him in place, “Want me to say something even more embarrassing?”

“Yeah,” Michael said, eyes shining a bit more. He still looked overwhelmed, but it was a bit better. 

Alex took a deep breath and looked as serious as he could muster, looking into his eyes.

“Will you be my Valentine?” Alex asked. Michael’s face scrunched up and he laughed, grabbing Alex’s hips and tugging him closer.

“That was disgusting, boyfriend,” Michael said as they stood nose to nose. Alex was giddy with it. He didn’t have to get his hopes up when Michael was already there to meet them.

And maybe Alex had a shot at a future full of it.

“C’mere, boyfriend.”

**_Alex:_ ** _ something may or may not have transpired _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Oh??? _

**_Alex:_ ** _ so, like, that little crush? Very big. Very reciprocated. _

**_Liz:_ ** _ OMG. KNEW IT. _

**_Alex:_ ** _ no you did not _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Michael has literally been giving you heart eyes since before he knew he was queer. I so knew it. Isobel called it first tho  _

**_Alex:_ ** _ and you said NOTHING to me??? _

**_Liz:_ ** _ As if you’d believe me _

**_Liz:_ ** _ Besides I didn’t know if he knew yet or if he was actually willing to pursue so I wasn’t gonna make it worse _

**_Alex:_ ** _ so rude _

**_Alex:_ ** _ I’m gonna go make out with my boyfriend now and fantasize about being his housewife  _

**_Liz:_ ** _ LMAO you could never be a housewife _

**_Alex:_ ** _ no I’d hate it but that’s why it’s staying a fantasy _

**_Liz:_ ** _ HAVE FUN _

**_Alex:_ ** _ absolutely will _

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://spaceskam.tumblr.com/)


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